Discover the historical events from 23rd of May, highlighting the inspiring lives of Maharani Gayatri Devi, Joan of Arc, Tycho Brahe, Benjamin Franklin, and Bachendri Pal, with fun facts on astronomy, eye conditions, and more — perfect for sparking curiosity and smiles!
Dear Students,
Let’s begin the 23rd of May with a royal tribute — not to a king or a prince, but to a truly inspiring queen! Today, we celebrate the birth anniversary of Maharani Gayatri Devi, a lady who wasn’t just a queen by title, but by her heart and actions too.
Born into the royal family of Cooch Behar, she later became the Maharani of Jaipur after marrying Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. But she didn’t stop at being royal and stylish (which she was, very much so!) — in 1962, she joined politics and won a seat in the Lok Sabha from Jaipur with a huge number of votes. Talk about royal approval!
She also strongly believed in education for girls and started the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ Public School in 1943 — the first of its kind in Rajasthan! Want to read about her life? Her autobiography is titled “A Princess Remembers”. And yes, what a princess she was!
Now, let’s hop into our time machines and go way back to the year 1430 — don’t worry, no homework from there! On this day, Joan of Arc, the brave French warrior girl (imagine a superhero in armour!), was captured and sadly handed over to the English. She’s remembered as a national hero of France and played a huge part in the Hundred Years’ War — which, believe it or not, lasted 116 years. Somebody definitely forgot to check the calendar!
Next up — let’s look at the stars, literally! Many of you are fascinated by astronomy — the study of space beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Well, way back in the 1500s, there was a Danish astronomer named Tycho Brahe who was so good at stargazing that the king gave him an entire island (yes, an island!) called Hveen on the 23rd of May to build an observatory. And in India, we’ve got our very own super space-spotting place: the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Leh, Ladakh, set up in 1997. Just imagine stargazing in the mountains — dreamy, right?
Now, here’s something for the spectacled squad! Did you know there are two main eye conditions for which we wear glasses? Myopia means you can’t see things far away, and Hypermetropia means nearby things look blurry. Imagine the confusion — “Is that my friend or a lamppost?”
Before 1785, people like me who had both problems needed two pairs of spectacles — one for reading and one for distance. But then came Benjamin Franklin, who clearly had a lightbulb moment and invented bifocal lenses on the 23rd of May. Now we have multifocal lenses too — so we don’t look like juggling magicians with two pairs of glasses anymore!
And last but not least, let’s raise a cheer for a true mountain conqueror — Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to reach the top of Mount Everest, did it on this very day in 1984. That’s higher than aeroplanes fly sometimes — now that’s taking adventure to a whole new level!
That’s all for today, dear students. Keep smiling, keep learning, and remember — even history has its fun days, like the 23rd of May!
Enjoy!
